Since Outlaws of Thunder Junction released, the Pioneer metagame has shifted substantially. Obviously, well-established tier one decks like Izzet Phoenix and Rakdos Vampires still remain very strong options. However, multiple lower tier archetypes have risen in popularity quite a bit thanks to some powerful new additions.
Niv to Light saw a big upgrade in the form of
Pillage the Bog
Pillage the Bog
Look at the top X cards of your library, where X is twice the number of lands you control. Put one of them into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
Plot {1}{B}{G} (You may pay {1}{B}{G} and exile this card from your hand. Cast it as a sorcery on a later turn without paying its mana cost. Plot only as a sorcery.)
. Similarly, Gruul aggro has become a force to be reckoned with in large part due to the power of
Slickshot Show-Off
Slickshot Show-Off
Flying, haste
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature gets +2/+0 until end of turn.
Plot {1}{R} (You may pay {1}{R} and exile this card from your hand. Cast it as a sorcery on a later turn without paying its mana cost. Plot only as a sorcery.)
. Outlaws of Thunder Junction is filled with awesome options to build around and players are still exploring all that the set has to offer.
One archetype that is extremely underrated and actually got a big boost is the
Metalwork Colossus
Metalwork Colossus
This spell costs {X} less to cast, where X is the total mana value of noncreature artifacts you control.
Sacrifice two artifacts: Return this card from your graveyard to your hand.
shell. This deck received a plethora of tools from Thunder Junction that help make the deck stronger and more consistent. While the deck hasn’t had a breakout performance yet, it has been featured in multiple recent Magic Online 5-0 League dumps. There’s a lot of potential here, so let’s take a look at the deck’s core gameplan and what Thunder Junction brought to the table.
Enabling Metalwork Colossus
Metalwork Colossus builds are not entirely new to Pioneer, and this deck still revolves heavily around maximizing the powerful Artifact Creature. Metalwork may have a very large mana cost, but don’t be fooled. Casting Metalwork Colossus is surprisingly easy, assuming you put in the work.
Outside of Metalwork Colossus itself,
Ingenious Smith
Ingenious Smith
When this creature enters, look at the top four cards of your library. You may reveal an artifact card from among them and put it into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
Whenever one or more artifacts you control enter, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature. This ability triggers only once each turn.
which can help dig for your win condition, and a couple copies of
Metallic Rebuke
Metallic Rebuke
Improvise (Your artifacts can help cast this spell. Each artifact you tap after you're done activating mana abilities pays for {1}.)
Counter target spell unless its controller pays {3}.
, every non-Land card in the maindeck is a non-Creature Artifact. Cards like
Moonsnare Prototype
Moonsnare Prototype
{T}, Tap an untapped artifact or creature you control: Add {C}.
Channel — {4}{U}, Discard this card: The owner of target nonland permanent puts it on their choice of the top or bottom of their library.
and
Fabrication Foundry
Fabrication Foundry
{T}: Add {W}. Spend this mana only to cast an artifact spell or activate an ability of an artifact source.
{2}{W}, {T}, Exile one or more other artifacts you control with total mana value X: Return target artifact card with mana value X or less from your graveyard to the battlefield. Activate only as a sorcery.
act as efficient ramp elements that also naturally reduce Metalwork Colossus’ casting cost. Meanwhile,
Portable Hole
Portable Hole
When this artifact enters, exile target nonland permanent an opponent controls with mana value 2 or less until this artifact leaves the battlefield.
helps you buy time to cast your namesake bomb.
Perhaps the most interesting card featured in this deck is
Brass Knuckles
Brass Knuckles
When you cast this spell, copy it. (The copy becomes a token.)
Equipped creature has double strike as long as two or more Equipment are attached to it.
Equip {1} ({1}: Attach to target creature you control. Equip only as a sorcery.)
. Brass Knuckles is a rather inefficient Equipment, but thanks to its triggered ability upon casting it, actually synergizes quite nicely with Metalwork Colossus. Because the token copy of Brass Knuckles also has a mana cost of four, the card effectively reduces the cost of Metalwork Colossus by eight!
This level of dedication ensures that when you draw Metalwork Colossus, you’ll be able to play it rather quickly and consistently. With a playset of
Sanctum of Ugin
Sanctum of Ugin
{T}: Add {C}.
Whenever you cast a colorless spell with mana value 7 or greater, you may sacrifice this land. If you do, search your library for a colorless creature card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.
in the mix, casting a single copy of Metalwork Colossus can start a chain reaction. Even if your opponent manages to answer your 10/10s, you can always sacrifice a couple Artifacts to bring them back from your graveyard. This makes it quite difficult to fight an attrition war against this strategy.
Read More: Elusive MTG Manga To Finally Make US Debut This Fall!
Another Necessary Win Condition
When this deck gets its engine rolling, it’s extremely strong and hard to disrupt. Unfortunately, there have always been multiple issues with the archetype in the past that have prevented it from maintaining a significant foothold in Pioneer. Luckily, some of these potent problems have been alleviated by Thunder Junction additions.
The first area of weakness for this strategy has been the general lack of top-end. A high density of cheap non-Creature Artifacts is required to enable Metalwork Colossus. As such, this deck naturally has a lot of fluff. Before Thunder Junction, if you didn’t draw Metalwork Colossus or your opponent was ready with exile-based removal such as
Leyline Binding
Leyline Binding
Flash
Domain — This spell costs {1} less to cast for each basic land type among lands you control.
When this enchantment enters, exile target nonland permanent an opponent controls until this enchantment leaves the battlefield.
, you were in a world of trouble. The printing of
Thousand Moons Smithy
Thousand Moons Smithy
When Thousand Moons Smithy enters, create a white Gnome Soldier artifact creature token with "This token's power and toughness are each equal to the number of artifacts and/or creatures you control."
At the beginning of your first main phase, you may tap five untapped artifacts and/or creatures you control. If you do, transform Thousand Moons Smithy.
certainly helped add a bit more beef. Still, the Metalwork Colossus shell severely needed another way to reliably close the game.
Enter: Simulacrum Synthesizer. We’ve already talked about the power of Synthesizer in Modern and Legacy Affinity. Now, the card has a home in Pioneer. Obviously, the card works well with Metalwork Colossus by reducing its casting cost and providing Construct tokens when Colossus enters. However, in games where you don’t draw Colossus, Synthesizer can take over singlehandedly. For example, casting Brass Knuckles as a follow up to Synthesizer will net you two enormous Construct tokens to Equip!
Read More: MTG Players Baffled By Bizarre Secret Lair Misprint
Upgrades Galore
Another weakness this strategy has suffered from in the past is the lack of interaction for opposing haymakers. Portable Hole and
Glass Casket
Glass Casket
When this artifact enters, exile target creature an opponent controls with mana value 3 or less until this artifact leaves the battlefield.
provided extra breathing room in the early game. Cards like
Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
Deathtouch
Whenever you draw a card, you gain 2 life.
Whenever an opponent draws a card, they lose 2 life.
or
Archfiend of the Dross
Archfiend of the Dross
Flying
This creature enters with four oil counters on it.
At the beginning of your upkeep, remove an oil counter from this creature. Then if it has no oil counters on it, you lose the game.
Whenever a creature an opponent controls dies, its controller loses 2 life.
, though, were tougher to deal with. Sure, white has ample removal spell options like
Get Lost
Get Lost
Destroy target creature, enchantment, or planeswalker. Its controller creates two Map tokens. (They're artifacts with "{1}, {T}, Sacrifice this token: Target creature you control explores. Activate only as a sorcery.")
, but you only have so much room for non-Artifact spells.
For this reason,
Assimilation Aegis
Assimilation Aegis
When this Equipment enters, exile up to one target creature until this Equipment leaves the battlefield.
Whenever this Equipment becomes attached to a creature, for as long as this Equipment remains attached to it, that creature becomes a copy of a creature card exiled with this Equipment.
Equip {2}
was a sneaky solid printing for this archetype. It answers the opponent’s biggest Creatures, triggers Synthesizer, and can even let your Ingenious Smiths become copies of the scary monster you exiled when applicable.
Besides Synthesizer and Aegis,
Lavaspur Boots
Lavaspur Boots
Equipped creature gets +1/+0 and has haste and ward {1}. (Whenever it becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter it unless that player pays {1}.)
Equip {1}
and
Fomori Vault
Fomori Vault
{T}: Add {C}.
{3}, {T}, Discard a card: Look at the top X cards of your library, where X is the number of artifacts you control. Put one of those cards into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
round out the new Thunder Junction inclusions. Letting your Constructs and Colossuses attack immediately can be essential in the face of board wipes. In the case of Fomori Vault, you get a neat utility Land that can dig super deep for Colossus. There isn’t a ton of extra room for colorless Lands given how important Sanctum of Ugin is, but having some flood protection goes a long way.
Read More: MH3 Resurrects Legendary Combo That Stops Your Opponent From Playing Magic!
Heading in the Right Direction
Notably, even with all these recent improvements to the deck, there are still some weak matchups worth addressing. Right off the bat, the rise in aggressive strategies thanks to Slickshot Show-Off is a bit of a concern. Portable Hole only does so much in stemming the bleeding. Slickshot Show-Off in particular is decent against Sorcery speed removal spells. Its Plot ability guarantees that the opponent will have extra mana available to pump it, enabling a big swing before you can exile it. As good as Synthesizer is, it’s a bit slow in Pioneer without all the mana acceleration and Affinity payoffs that you’d find in older formats.
This also means that some of your combo matchups aren’t the greatest, either. Your clock isn’t fast, making it tough to race
Lotus Field
Lotus Field
Hexproof
This land enters tapped.
When this land enters, sacrifice two lands.
{T}: Add three mana of any one color.
combo. You have some disruption for Abzan
Amalia Benavides Aguirre
Amalia Benavides Aguirre
Ward—Pay 3 life.
Whenever you gain life, Amalia Benavides Aguirre explores. Then destroy all other creatures if its power is exactly 20. (To have this creature explore, reveal the top card of your library. Put that card into your hand if it's a land. Otherwise, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature, then put the card back or put it into your graveyard.)
combo, but it’s often not enough.
The good news is that the new cards improve your midrange and control matchups quite a bit. Synthesizer is an incredibly hard card to grind through. It can create a wide board of Constructs, making you less vulnerable to
The Wandering Emperor
The Wandering Emperor
Flash
As long as The Wandering Emperor entered this turn, you may activate her loyalty abilities any time you could cast an instant.
+1: Put a +1/+1 counter on up to one target creature. It gains first strike until end of turn.
−1: Create a 2/2 white Samurai creature token with vigilance.
−2: Exile target tapped creature. You gain 2 life.
out of control. At the same time, Lavaspur Boots makes it easier to beat board wipes. If the opponent taps out for
Supreme Verdict
Supreme Verdict
This spell can't be countered.
Destroy all creatures.
, making a Construct or casting a Colossus and Equipping lets you attack for a bunch of damage right away.
On top of that, your Colossuses and Constructs are typically too big for damage-based removal out of Izzet Phoenix to handle. Aegis can answer scary threats like Sheoldred or
Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal
Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal
Flying, lifelink
Whenever Aclazotz attacks, each opponent discards a card. For each opponent who can't, you draw a card.
Whenever an opponent discards a land card, create a 1/1 black Bat creature token with flying.
When Aclazotz dies, return it to the battlefield tapped and transformed under its owner's control.
out of mono-black midrange. Fumori Vault lets you turn excess Lands into action. Depending on the metagame you are expecting, the Azorius Metalwork Colossus shell seems like a perfectly reasonable choice. There’s definitely room for the deck to be fine-tuned even further, too. Perhaps a breakout performance is on the horizon, but we will just have to wait and see.
Read More: Obscure Upkeep-Cancelling Artifact Sees 1,000% Price Spike!